


Rafael’s Witness

by soul_writerr



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Background Case, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-24 03:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17093213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soul_writerr/pseuds/soul_writerr
Summary: When Detective Dominick Carisi Jr. comes in for trial prep, Rafael is almost instantly smitten by the eager, smiling, dimpled man.





	Rafael’s Witness

**Author's Note:**

> This came to me out of nowhere and I wrote it basically all at once while procrastinating the other story I’m working on. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> TW: very brief, non-graphic mention of rape

Olivia had told him the outcry witness was a Detective from the 99th precinct in Brooklyn. She knew his Captain, and the man was more than willing to lend SVU his Detective for a couple days so he could testify. 

And the Detective himself, Olivia told him, was eager to help. For once, something seemed to work in his favor. An NYPD Detective as an outcry witness was easier to deal with than your regular folk, given their predisposition to knowing how to handle themselves in a courtroom. 

That was why Rafael chose to go through their trial prep in his office instead of in a witness stand. The Detective certainly wouldn’t need the general role-play in court to perform well under oath.

Although the courthouse was only a couple minutes away, it was way more convenient for Rafael to stay in his office. He had a lot of work to do, given that this was the first time he took a case of a man raping another man to court.

But everything was laid-out in front of him. They had hard evidence, a victim willing to take the stand, an outcry witness who hopefully knew what he was doing, DNA evidence and security footage. 

Honestly, Rafael wasn’t sure why Buchanan hadn’t started pestering him for a deal yet. But while he didn’t, his opening statement was done, the outcry witness was on his way for trial prep, and the victim was coming over later. 

Right on time, there was a knock on his door and Carmen came in, a small smile on her face that told Rafael she knew something he didn’t. It wasn’t a look he was particularly fond of. He raised an eyebrow at her, but she didn’t waver. 

“Mr. Barba, Detective Carisi from Brooklyn’s 99th precinct is here to see you,” she told him, her tone even and neutral. That wasn’t a good sign either. 

“Bring him in,” he waved and stood up, rounding his desk to greet the Detective.

And as soon as said man walked into his office, Rafael knew exactly why Carmen was acting suspicious. Detective Carisi was tall, all legs, lean, fair, with a blinding smile and striking blue eyes. His dark blond hair was swept away from his face artfully, and to top it all off, the man had the cutest dimples Rafael had ever seen.

Damn. Detective Carisi was exactly Rafael’s type. 

“Mr. Barba, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” the man said, and he had an accent that made him that much more appealing. Rafael was doomed. “I’m Detective Dominick Carisi Jr., but everyone calls me Sonny.”

Sonny? Rafael was about to melt off the face of the Earth. “Detective Carisi,” he greeted as neutrally as he could, offering him a hand to shake. “Thank you for coming in such short notice.”

Carisi shook his hand firmly and somehow his smile grew even bigger, crinkling the skin around his eyes adorably. “Nah, my Captain and Lieutenant Benson go way back. The 99th is more than happy to help.” 

God, he sounded so eager. “Good,” Rafael smiled a little when he noticed the Detective didn’t seem too worried about letting go of his hand, his eyes studying Rafael’s face openingly. Eventually, Rafael pulled his hand away. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure,” Carisi nodded and looked around as Rafael made his way to his coffee maker. “Phew, this is quite the fancy office you have here, Counselor.”

Rafael chuckled. “Thanks.”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly, ducking his head a little then looking up at Rafael through his thick eyelashes. Rafael’s gut twisted under Carisi’s gaze. “I’ve only been to Manhattan a handful of times. It’s been an experience.”

“I’m sorry it took such straining circumstances for you to go around the borough,” he said wholeheartedly, handing Carisi a cup of coffee. “I have sugar and cream if you’d like.”

Carisi took a long sip from the cup and hummed, satisfied. “It’s fine. And it’s no big deal for me. It’s the guy, you know. I feel for him.”

Rafael went back around his desk, sitting down as he gestured for the Detective to take a seat across from him. He thought he caught Carisi watching him more closely than necessary, but it might have been just a trick of his mind. The Detective couldn’t possibly be checking him out.

“I understand,” he nodded. Rafael opened a legal pad and wrote down the day’s date along with the Detective’s name. And if he wrote down ‘Sonny’ that was for his own personal satisfaction. “I’m going to start with a few basic questions, Detective,” he started as the man sat down, still smiling. “Did you know the victim, Matthew Preston?”

Carisi leaned back into the chair, getting comfortable, and shook his head. “No, I found him in the bathroom. He was sitting alone on the sink, and he appeared to be crying. So I approached him, told him I was a cop. He kinda broke down after that.” 

Rafael nodded along Carisi’s recollection and made a few notes. “And what did he tell you?”

“That he met a guy, he was nice, payed for a few drinks. They kissed, but the guy got a little handsy, so he excused himself to go to the bathroom, you know. He said he was going home after that. But the guy came into the bathroom and attacked him.”

Rafael found that he quite enjoyed how deep Carisi’s voice was. Listening to him was soothing. “Did he go into detail?”

“Not really. He said the guy kissed him again, but he stopped it and said he wasn’t that interested, and the guy got super angry, accused Matthew of using him to get free drinks,” Carisi moved uncomfortably in the chair and looked down at his coffee. 

Rafael waited in silence as Carisi frowned at the liquid in his cup. It was cute, the way the lines in his forehead and between his eyebrows deepened as he concentrated.

“Then Matthew said the guy… raped him. I called 911 as soon as he said those words,” he looked up again, shooting Rafael an earnest look, as if waiting for him to tell him he did the right thing. “We don’t take rape cases in the 99th, but I know it’s important to take the victim to a hospital as quickly as possible.”

So eager, Rafael thought. “Did he resist that idea at all?” 

“Yeah, a little. Matthew said he was scared, that he didn’t want the guy to seek revenge or something. But I managed to talk him into going to the hospital.” 

He had to hold back a smile from the way the Detective preened, proud. “And you accompanied him to the hospital, is that correct?”

Carisi nodded. “I rode on the bus with him and waited at the hospital until SVU came along. Lieutenant Benson took Matthew’s statement then dismissed me.”

“You went straight back to Brooklyn after that?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “Early shift.”

“Did you see the guy who attacked Matthew?”

“No, not at all. I saw Matthew come into the club. He came in pretty early, so it wasn’t too crowded.”

Rafael couldn’t remember the last time he had been in a club. Probably ten years ago. But he did remember going in early wasn’t anyone’s preference. “And why were you there so early?”

“Because I was a long way from home,” he snorted. “And I wasn’t going to stay in Manhattan, so I went early so I could enjoy the night as much as I could without ruining my sleeping schedule.” 

Sleeping schedule? At that Rafael did smile a little, because it was adorable. “Have you made any other contact with Matthew since then?” 

“Yeah, I called him a few days later to check on him.”

He looked up at the Detective, curious. Matthew hadn’t told them about that call. “Did he tell you anything else about the case during that call?”

Carisi shook his head. “No, he only thanked me for helping and said he was going to therapy.”

“Great,” Rafael nodded, satisfied. “Detective, I’m going to ask you a few questions that the defense might ask in order to discredit your testimony. These may be a little more invasive and personal, but please be honest in your answers. Are you ready?”

The Detective shot him another big, blinding smile. “Shoot.”

“When you saw Matthew walk into the club, were you attracted to him?,” he asked bluntly and saw Carisi blush as his smile slowly dimmed.

“Uh, not really,” he shifted uncomfortably again. “I mean, no offense, but he’s not really my type,” Carisi looked into Rafael’s eyes and then away, back into his cup as he continued, “I’m more into, uh, older men. Uh.”

Rafael’s eyebrows shot up and he smirked, amused. Maybe the Detective had actually been checking him out earlier, then. “No need to go into detail, Detective.”

“Sorry,” he ducked his head, seeming very flustered. Rafael’s heart constricted in his chest.

He gave Carisi a small smile and continued, “So you make it a habit of telling defenseless, crying men in bathrooms that you’re a cop?”

“What?,” he frowned. “No. But he looked like he needed help, and I thought that telling him I’m a cop would make him trust me.” 

Rafael twirled his pen between his fingers absentmindedly, but noticed that Carisi was distracted by the movement. “So you’re saying you weren’t flirting with the victim?”

“Of course not!,” Carisi jumped up in his seat, snapping his eyes from Rafael’s hand to his face. “He was crying. Why would I flirt with him?”

He waved a hand. “Detective, don’t get so defensive. Remember, this isn’t a personal attack, the defense is going to try to make it look like you had an ulterior motive so that the jury won’t trust your judgement of the situation.”

“I’m sorry,” he exhaled sharply. “You’re right. Please, continue.”

“Why did you go to the hospital with Matthew?”

Carisi relaxed back into his seat, visibly trying to make himself chill. “Well, he disclosed to me, so I wanted to make sure he felt safe and didn’t change his mind about going.” 

“And when did you leave?”

“When Lieutenant Benson dismissed me.”

“But would you have stayed if she hadn’t?” 

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably.” 

“Sounds like you were pretty invested in staying by Matthew’s bedside. Why so much interest?”

Carisi paused for half a second, then calmly replied. “As I said, I wanted to make sure he felt safe. Also, I’m a cop. It’s part of my job to be there for victims.” 

Rafael hated the next question. But he was positive Buchanan would ask it. The disgraceful asshole. “You work misdemeanours in a local precinct in Brooklyn. What do you know about dealing with victims?”

The Detective’s eyebrows shot up in shock. “Ouch,” he said, then shook himself. “Sorry. I guess I don’t know a lot about working with victims, but before transfering to the 99th I worked Homicides. There was a lot of comforting going on there. Family, partners, children. You kinda have to reach out.”

Rafael was taken by surprise. Of all the cops he had worked with, with the exception of Olivia Benson herself, he had never seen such open display of kindness and sensitivity. Most male cops were too ‘macho’ for their own good. “And did you make personal calls to these families like you did with Matthew?”

“Not often. But here and there, yeah. Just to check on them. There were no ulterior motives, ever. Matthew went through something really traumatic, I was just doing the human thing.”

Rafael was 38. He was a Manhattan ADA. He graduated from Harvard. He could not believe he was this smitten by this Detective this fast. He could not believe that the ‘serve and protect’ speech was making him want to coo out loud.

It was those damned dimples, it had to be. And those insanely blue eyes. And his constant, infectious smiles. 

“Alright. Start your testimony by saying you had no ulterior motives, that way it’ll throw out that line of questioning,” he said and Carisi nodded along, seemingly impressed by the insight. He sat up and gave the other man a long look. “For the record, Detective, I think you did great work with Matthew. I don’t think he would have come forward if it weren’t for you. So you’re helping us take a rapist off the streets.”

Carisi blushed again, but he was smiling this time. “It was nothing, Counselor. Don’t mention it.”

“I mean it,” Rafael insisted. Because he felt an abnormal need to let Carisi know that he did a good job. “I’m very impressed by your tactfulness.”

“Are you?,” he gaped. “Wow. Thanks. Could you tell my Captain that?”

Rafael laughed. “I’m sure if he works with you he already knows.” 

Carisi blushed again, that damned bright smile getting even brighter. “That’s very kind of you to say, Counselor.” 

He waved a dismissive hand, then tapped his pen on his legal pad. “We’re done for today, Detective. Once again, thank you for coming in. And remember, just stay relaxed during cross-examination. The defense is going to try to plant doubts, but just be honest like you were now, don’t take anything personally. And if needed, I’ll ask for a redirect.” 

“Okay,” Sonny nodded. Then he gave Rafael a look. He wasn’t sure where to place that look, but it turned his stomach upside down. “Counselor, I-. I mean, uh, I was wondering if you’d like to go out for a drink with me.” 

Oh.

Rafael blinked, surprised. He thought Carisi might be interested, but he didn’t expect him to be so forward. He felt his heart speed up. Rafael would honestly love nothing more, but not before the trial. He couldn’t risk Buchanan hearing about it and using it in court. 

“I’m afraid that wouldn’t be appropriate, Detective,” he said sourly, and Carisi’s face fell. “Not before the trial.” 

Carisi suddenly looked hopeful. “But after?” 

Rafael smiled. “After we could go for a celebratory drink, or we can drink our sorrows away.” 

“From what I’ve seen, it’s definitely going to be a celebration, Counselor,” he said, a flirtatious tone to his voice. 

“Flattery will get you anywhere,” Rafael smirked. 

“Good,” Carisi pulled a card from inside his jacket and handed it over to Rafael. “Here. Call me if you need anything.”

Rafael stood up, smiling at the card. “Thank you, Detective.”

“Please, call me Sonny,” he beamed as he stood up, setting his now cold cup of coffee on Rafael’s desk. 

“Maybe after the trial,” he said teasingly, making his way to the door to open it for the Detective. Before he could though, Carisi surprisingly crowded him against it. 

“It was great working with you, Counselor,” Carisi said, his voice going low. “I look forward to seeing you again.” 

Rafael felt a thrill run through his body, and it took everything in him not to give in. But he was a professional. So as a professional, he turned the doorknob and pulled the door open. The Detective stepped away from him instantly, but the mirth in his eyes didn’t go anywhere. 

“Me too, Detective,” Rafael smirked. “Have a great day.”

“You too,” Carisi winked and left the office, bidding Carmen goodbye on his way out. 

Rafael stepped outside for the sole purpose of watching him leave, ignoring Carmen’s knowing look. “Nice guy, isn’t he?,” she joked.

“Sure is,” Rafael muttered.

**Author's Note:**

> You know me, of course Sonny works with the Nine-Nine ;)
> 
> I’m working on a sequel for my Soulmates AU series and I’m in desperate need of inspiration, so please leave some kudos and some comments to help my mind out of its slump!!


End file.
